Electrodes are placed around, within or adjacent to a nerve trunk or root to stimulate the nerve and/or sense electrical impulses traveling through the nerve. For example, electrodes have been applied to nerves to activate the diaphragm or bladder. Electrodes have also been applied to nerves to treat chronic back pain, blockage of neural conduction, and sensory feedback.
Although the application of electrodes to nerves has proven to be a feasible method of stimulating nerves and or sensing nerve impulses, such an electrode application has the potential to cause nerve trauma. For example, book electrodes, cuff electrodes, spiral cuff electrodes, epidural electrodes, helix electrodes, and intraneural electrodes can cause mechanical, compressive and/or other types of nerve trauma.
There is a need in the art for a mechanism that allows a stimulation and/or sensing electrode to be attached to a nerve in a manner that reduces potential nerve trauma. There is also a need in the art for a method of attaching a stimulation and/or sensing electrode to a nerve that reduces the potential for nerve trauma.